Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

[loadedguitar]

Hi everyone,

A few months ago I bought myself a new Vintage V100. It's the first guitar I bought from my own money, that I worked for, and for me, that $350 is a lot. Now here in Hungary it's winter. When I have to go to guitar lessons, my guitar goes through about 7 temperature changes. From room temp. to -5 °C, then from that to about 10 °C on the bus, and when I get off the bus it's -5 °C again and when I go in the music school it's room temp. again. This happens in reverse when I'm going home. Can this damage my guitar? I'm really worried about it.
Thank you!
Here's a pic of my beauty:

 

[jeremy]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

drastic rapid temperature change isnt good for the guitar. do you keep it in a case? if so you should be fine. best not to leave it in cold (or hot) temps for too long but during transport there isnt much you can do. nice looking guitar by the way!

 

[loadedguitar]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

Yes, I keep it in a gigbag, but I will buy a hard case for it. Thank you for your answer!

 

[Liko]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

Yes, I keep it in a gigbag, but I will buy a hard case for it. Thank you for your answer!

Yeah, the padding and eventually the hard shell will act to insulate the guitar from sudden temperature swings, like walking outside with it.

The first danger from temperature swings is finish checking; the finish of the guitar expands and contracts at a slightly different rate, and the finish is more directly exposed to the temperature change than the wood underneath, so if it cools very suddenly it can cause a crosshatch or spiderweb pattern of cracks in your guitar's finish. Doesn't hurt sound or playability but it doesn't look good.

Serious dangers can include the cold air sapping moisture from the tonewood. This is a bigger deal for acoustics but can still happen on slab bodies if left in cold enough temperatures for long enough. As the wood dries in the cold temperatures, it will shrink, which can compromise glue joints and other stressed parts of the guitar and in the extreme can damage it.

The recommendations on this thread are sound; keep your guitar in its case during winter months when you're not playing, avoid keeping the guitar in the cold for long periods, and let it acclimate in the case to any new long-term temperature over as long a time as possible. A gig bag will provide some protection but a hardshell case is better.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

Its best in something where the air can be maintained at a steady temperature and humidity. If the guitar has a 2-way trussrod then many of the changes can be adjusted for.

 

[loadedguitar]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

Thank you everybody! I'll buy a hardshell case, and when I have to go out with a guitar in winter, I'll take the old strat. I know that can handle temperature changes well.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

Lovely axe,Congrats!

In the meantime,I'm with you on dragging teh Strat around!

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Are temperature changes bad for my guitar?

drastic rapid temperature change isnt good for the guitar. do you keep it in a case? if so you should be fine. best not to leave it in cold (or hot) temps for too long but during transport there isnt much you can do.

yeah, just transport in a well insulated hard case. let everything normalize to the new environment before opening the case.